Cheap costumes and other Halloween tricks
Posted
Oct 20 2008, 12:09 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
The Bargain Queens shared one of the cheapest costume ideas we've come across: Dress in regular clothes and carry a sign that says "Nudist on strike."
Spending l
ess on Halloween -- which has become a very spendy holiday -- is a common goal this year as economic woes continue to spread. Short of turning off the porch and indoor lights on Halloween night, personal-finance bloggers have plenty of good suggestions to celebrate frugally.
Some of the best Halloween treats we've seen are at Squawkfox. One example is the "freakish frog with fly" displayed here, courtesy of "Fox." We can assure you that all Squawkfox recipes are "frugalicious."
Deal Seeking Mom is another blogger looking to reduce Halloween spending this year. "My oldest has his heart set on a Star Wars Storm Trooper costume that is priced at a whopping $49.95. Eek! Sorry, hon -- that is just not happening!" she wrote. Among her suggestions: Swap used costumes with friends or recycle costumes from previous years.
Others advise us to dig through closets and drawers. A basic black outfit can be accessorized into a space alien, as suggested at Sound Money Matters, or a witch, kitty cat or mime, say The Bargain Queens, who also explain how you can go trick-or-treating as a TV.
Mary Ann Romans posts at families.com about how to dress your child as a robot -- all you need is a sweat suit, aluminum pans and assorted doodads you have in your home -- or the always popular Harry Potter. Skip buying Halloween makeup in the store, she adds. You can make your own with food coloring and regular foundation makeup.
Another great source is The Frugal Mom Blog, where Donna provides lists of cheap and easy costumes, and sources for Halloween printables and crafts. She recommends that you shop the dollar stores for craft supplies, and that you compost your sagging jack-o'-lantern after you have fun smashing it to bits.
Mommy Mia at Thrifty Thoughts provides a link to free stencils to make a better jack-o'-lantern. Here's one we're going to do: For a great front-porch display, Kyle of Rather Be Shopping says you can create a scary figure by stuffing your old clothes with leaves.
